Are You Growing or Coasting? (Pastor LeClaire Litchfield, 12/07/24)

Good to see you.

It looks like you folks enjoy worship.

Is that acceptable?

You better believe it is.

You better believe it is.

Have you ever met a self-appointed Holy Spirit?

Does a self-appointed Holy Spirit know their self-appointed Holy Spirit?

No.

Are they sincere?

Yes.

Can they be a little obnoxious?

You're not sure about that one, are you?

In Revelation, Jesus says, Behold, I stand at the door, what?

A knock.

It does not say, Behold, I stand at the door with a bulldozer.

God is not a pushy God.

But you've got to go from Genesis to Revelation to figure that out a little bit.

Please, keep the Old Testament.

But Jesus said this, If you've seen me, what?

You've seen the Father.

So when I come across some of the things in the Old Testament,

the blood and guts of the Old Testament,

and it's almost like God gets blamed for some of these things,

in case you didn't know, you know that in the Jewish mindset,

God was the cause of everything.

That's why when we look at one little verse where it says,

remember Pharaoh, and it says several different things in Exodus.

Here's what it says.

Pharaoh hardened his heart.

Pharaoh's heart was hardened.

God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

And when I was going over that in the Sabbath school class in a church not too far from here,

the lady said, Pastor, I just believe what the Bible says.

I said, well, so do I.

But it just said three different things about how Pharaoh's heart was hardened.

What?

I said, when I come to some stumbling blocks in the good Old Testament,

I run to Jesus.

Jesus said this, you know it all.

You know all very well.

If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.

I and the Father are one.

I don't need to pray to the Father.

He loves you himself.

I'm afraid when I grew up I didn't get that message.

By the way, I'm a third generation Adventist.

I grew up in Rebue in Harold Diapers.

My dad worked for the General Conference.

You know, I've been there.

I've been there.

And I learned at a very young age that you keep your eyes off of people.

The song does not go like this.

Turn your eyes upon each other.

Look full in your occasional good.

Don't do that.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.

I was in seventh grade.

I was pumping Adventist gas behind the General Conference in Rebue in Harold.

It was 16 cents a gallon.

That's what he saw.

Wow.

And when the brethren came up, and then back in those days,

they actually had people that serviced your gas tank, right?

Well, that's what I was.

I was cleaning the hose in the gas tank and probably cleaning his windshield.

I don't remember in seventh grade.

It's a long time ago.

And then you know how the gas used to burp a little bit and spill out on the finish of the car?

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

So I quickly took some paper towel.

Bad decision.

And started wiping off the gas off his car.

He got out of his car.

What are you doing?

I said, well, the gas burped.

Well, you don't do that.

Sorry.

Happy Thursday.

You know.

He drove away.

I got home to 2209 Lackawanna Street, Riggs Road right behind the George Worshton Cemetery in Adelphi, Maryland.

And I sat down at that round sofa.

You know what I'm talking about, the round sofa with the white hasseck in the middle?

Picked up a little church paper called the Review.

You heard of Review and Herald?

I was leafing through it.

Saw a picture of this guy.

Different expression on it, hey?

The title of his article was, How to Really Love Others.

I couldn't wait until my dad got home.

Dad, gas burp, huh, huh, love others, huh?

And here's what my dad said.

The same thing that your dad said to you probably a couple times.

He didn't call you LeClair.

That's why I go by Lich.

LeClair, LeClair.

Maybe one of his articles didn't get published.

Maybe he had a teenage kid giving him a hard time.

Here comes the cliche.

You could finish it.

You always have to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Oh, dad.

Always defending the brotherhood.

Always defending the brotherhood.

Turn in your Bibles, please, to Philippians.

Who wrote Philippians?

Paul.

When in doubt, guess Paul.

He wrote most of the New Testament.

In fact, if we were to give the gold medal, he would get it with, what is it, 13?

Is that right, Cliff, 13?

It depends who counts Hebrews, whether Paul wrote it or not.

Some discussed that.

Who would get the silver?

John, because he wrote Big John, Three Little Johns, and Revelation.

And who would be tied for the bronze?

Oh, I didn't count on the test of it.

Sorry.

John, I mean Peter, because he wrote 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Luke,

because he wrote Acts and Luke.

Do you need to know that tribute to get to heaven?

No? Is it important to know where your Bible books are?

Yeah. Help us, Jesus.

I hang out at the academy now, and I do Bible studies with teenagers, the ones who want them.

They need to learn the books of, I don't tell them that.

Philippians is the book, the main theme of the book is what, do you know?

Joy, joy, not happiness.

There's a big difference.

I'll try not to take the whole service giving you definitions and another story.

Again, I'm talking to teenagers now, forgive me, okay?

You're going to Disney World, you're happy.

The lines are long at Space Mountain, you're unhappy.

There's a cute girl looking at you guys, you're happy.

She's got a seven-foot boyfriend looking at you, you're unhappy.

When they were lowering my mom into the grave, I was unhappy, but I still had joy.

Because the world can't give you joy, and the world what?

Can't take it away.

How do I know that's biblically correct?

Because remember this verse, help me finish it.

Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross.

What in the world does that mean?

Did Jesus hum a song?

I'm happy today, go, go.

No, he was not happy.

In fact, he asked his three disciples, Peter, James, and John,

would you please come here and sit with me and pray?

He was in the city, he was prostrate on the ground.

It's not like that picture in your grandmother's living room, good grandmother,

but the picture is theologically incorrect.

Remember Jesus with his hands like this at the rock,

with every hair in place and a little halo behind his head?

Nice picture, but theologically incorrect.

He was pressing down on the earth.

He was needing some hope and fellowship, and what were the three disciples doing?

Sleeping, I'm glad we're not like that, aren't you?

Oh, that's Jesus.

Was Jesus upset with him?

No.

In my imagination, God did this up in heaven.

Angels, the disciples are flunking the course a little bit.

I need a volunteer, and all the angels, send me, send me.

God sent Gabriel.

No angel said, why does he always send Gabriel?

You know why?

Because his jealousy had moved out of heaven.

Oh, by the way, another fellow I like who is no longer with us, his name was Dan Jackson.

He was the president of the North American Division.

You know why I like him so much?

Because when he stood up to speak, I don't know if he did this every time,

but here's what he said.

Hi, my name is Dan Jackson.

I'm a broken man.

I'm so glad to hear a teacher say that, or a leader say that,

because so many of the times in my critical mind,

I say, well, I just got back from Australia, and I can't,

and in two days I'm going over, don't tell me your agenda,

don't tell me how important you are,

tell me that you're a sinner, a broken man.

So I usually use that line.

In fact, I'd rather go into even more detail for you,

because you don't know me that well.

I'm proud, I'm jealous, I'm selfish, I'm easily hurt, but I cover it with humor,

but I love Jesus.

Whatever you do, don't look at any preacher.

There's none righteous one, no not one.

Do you know there's actually people in the Seventh Day Adventist Church

who think they're better than other Christians?

Do you know there's actually people in this church,

not this church, because you're all perfect,

there are also people who think that the only people who kept the Sabbath

will go to heaven.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say,

go you into all the world and judge the world.

It says, go you into all the world and love the world.

Whenever I start talking and preaching, there's always someone at the back

who comes up to me and says,

Pastor, we've got to go deeper than the love of God.

And you forgot the three angels.

Excuse me just a minute.

The first angel is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What does that mean?

Paul's going to tell us that.

I love Paul.

He's so articulate.

He's so honest.

At one point he can say, I'm chief of sinners.

Another place he says, follow my example.

Another place he says, can you identify with this?

That which I want to do what?

I don't do.

That which I don't do what?

I keep doing.

And then he says this, church members,

who can deliver me from this body of death?

I love Paul because he's so real.

Another place he says this in Philippians, by the way,

if you don't know where to start and you're in a renewal spot

during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season,

here's my prescription to you.

Take the book of Philippians and read it every day for 30 days.

When you come to something you don't understand, skip it.

Is that biblical?

Just skip it.

And then, nobody taught me this when I was growing up,

and then as you read, I'm going to show you how to do it right now,

as you read, pray read.

Pray to God about what you just read.

It'll revolutionize your Bible reading.

It'll revolutionize your prayer life.

Yes, we should pray for each other.

That's called intercessory prayer.

Yes, by all means.

Be with, be with, be with, be with.

But after you get done with all that,

talk to God about what he just said to you.

Another place, we won't get to it today,

chapter 3 is the conclusion.

It's the key chapter of Philippians, and it says this,

I want to know Christ.

You know, there's actually people somewhere around the world in the Seventh-day Advent Church,

when if you talk about Jesus too much, they're a little suspect,

they wonder if you're really an Adventist.

Absurd.

Absurd.

But he says this, I want to know Christ, the power of resurrection,

I'd like to skip the next part, but it's there,

and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering.

You've lost a loved one, you're sharing in his suffering.

Somebody misjudges you, you're sharing in their suffering.

Someone argues with you, you're sharing their suffering.

Someone's not treating you right on the interstate, get over it.

I'm talking to myself.

Paul says in that verse, something ridiculous.

Forgetting what is behind, remember we said that?

Forgetting what is behind, I press on toward what?

What is ahead?

I think Paul suffers from guilt.

Have you noticed that every time you start getting closer to Christ,

you're on a devotional role and you're going good,

the devil starts reminding you of your past?

When the devil does that, if Carmen were here,

he was a Christian singer years ago, he says,

when the devil reminds you of your past, you remind him of his future.

I think what Paul was saying is, don't focus on the stuff.

Because there are things I want to forget I can't forget.

There are things I forget I want to forget.

You know what I'm saying?

But Paul says, I think what he says is, don't focus on it.

And there are some Christians who don't like Paul.

They think he's too this and too that.

Well, he feeds my soul.

And Romans is good too.

Most of his books he wrote where?

When he's in prison.

Have I given you enough time to find Philippians?

Here we go.

Now let me find it.

Who wrote Ephesians?

Who wrote Galatians?

Who wrote Corinthians?

Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul.

You know how I remember those skinny four ones?

Georgia Electric Power Company.

Galatians defeated Philippians to Washington.

Or, maybe you think it's sacrilegious, God eats popcorn.

Galatians defeated.

Philippians.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ.

I've got a brilliant, all my grandchildren are brilliant, so are yours.

One of the most brilliant of all.

He's sitting at the breakfast table with Shelly, my wife.

She's five years old.

He says, Lovie?

That's what she called, Lovie.

Does God want to control us?

And Shelly being the brilliant teacher she is, she said, what do you think?

He says, well, he's kind of the boss.

And she said, ah.

But in John 15, 15 he says, I no longer call you servants, I call you friends.

And then he said, touch the peanut butter, please.

I call you friends.

I'm afraid, again, I don't blame my parents.

I don't blame the preachers in my life.

I don't blame anybody.

I just had in my mind a picture that was incorrect.

God the Father sits in the big chair.

Right?

God the Son sits in the smaller chair.

The Holy Spirit sits in the folding chair.

I'm just telling you how my little mind worked, OK?

And that is incorrect.

In fact, as soon as God, and I'm not sure God, well, we could talk about this all day.

The three gods who are all equal and all one, and don't ask me to explain that.

If anyone says they can, you listen politely, and then you say, wait till I get to heaven.

I had not seen or heard.

But don't let any preacher compare to you.

They understand the Trinity.

Or don't let some critical Adventist say, I don't believe in the Trinity.

God bless them.

Very clear that the Holy Spirit was a person.

You can't lie to a table.

Peter said you lied to the Holy Spirit.

That's another topic.

All three are equal.

All three love us.

They all three have pre, what's it called?

They know what's going to happen before it happens, foreknowledge.

They knew when they created Lucifer that he was going to mess up.

Why didn't they just skip Lucifer?

Because God is love.

And at the risk of starting to stack religious, I believe when God, God, and God created the angels and created Lucifer,

they said to each other words of comfort, which was this.

Look, we know what's going to happen.

But it's only for a weekend.

Does anyone understand what I'm saying?

God has no beginning, no end.

In our little earth, we can argue about how old it is, but our little earth is so many years old.

But to God, it's just a weekend.

And dare I say, God can't help himself.

He's love.

He wanted to create, but he refused to do an assembly line creation.

He said, hey, let's make man in our image.

Wow.

Does that mean the other worlds that exist, and we believe there are other worlds?

Be careful how you share that because people might get confused.

But there was something about this little earthlings that was different.

Now we're going to fall in a trap that says that was better.

Stop it.

And God is love.

I mean, why didn't he not put, why didn't he forget putting the tree there?

Because he wants them to choose him out of love.

Love.

Not a Christian song, but it's very appropriate.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love.

Love is the only thing.

There's just too little love.

And you can't crank it up.

How do I know that?

I haven't gotten to Philippians.

I've got to tell you to go to Romans, don't go to it, because I'll tell you the verse.

Romans 5, 5 should be right up there with John 3, 16.

Here's what Romans 5, 5 says.

God pours his love.

This is God's heart, see?

God pours his love from his heart to my heart, to your heart by the Holy Spirit.

What a verse.

Because we cannot crank love up, but God pours it to his Holy Spirit, to us.

The atheist who goes home and says to his wife, honey, I love you, is experiencing the love of God for his wife.

And I think I heard someone pray an opening prayer this morning, which I love.

Because here's what I thought he said.

And be with all your people.

Who does God love the most?

Who does God love the most?

Who does God love the most?

Oh, love that will not let me go.

I used to think that the second coming, we'll get to Philippians, I used to think that the second coming, Jesus would be smiling.

Who does he love?

Everyone.

The man who's able to curse in his name and flipping him off and calling for the rocks and mountains is breaking his heart.

Explain to me the emotion of God.

Oh, love that will not let us go.

So, Romans 5 says he pours in his love, but here's what I suggest to you folks.

You can discuss it later and tell someone else I'm wrong.

That's okay.

I won't argue with you.

I have sometimes and that's because I haven't had good devotion.

He doesn't just pour in love.

He pours in joy.

Back on Philippians.

He pours in forgiveness.

He pours in grace.

He pours in the song that you played, calm assurance.

He pours in forgiveness.

He pours in everything we need.

God provides.

Yeah, but God helps those who help themselves.

That's not in the Bible.

That was Benjamin Franklin.

Not in the Bible.

God helps those who help themselves.

God helps those who can't help themselves.

In other words, the goodness of God draws everyone.

Everyone.

And by the way, America, God is not American.

That's as far as I'll go with that.

God is multi-national.

God is not pro-women and not pro-men and not, stop it.

It's all equal in level with the cross.

And dear old folks, don't think you've got a corner on Jesus.

And don't you young people think you old folks are out of touch.

You make a pretty good blend here.

We need each other.

No word does it say go into all the world of the church and judge the world.

And judge the church.

Deliver us from being those Supreme Court justices.

You don't know what Christians are like, oh Lord, all you're preaching about is love.

Well, yeah, I probably will.

But when I say love, I mean Jesus.

And so back to the Trinity.

It wasn't the big chair.

They all three huddled together.

My simple mind.

And I don't know what they were called before creation, before the world.

But Jesus God, we gave him that name down here, said, look, he didn't say if something goes wrong.

When it goes wrong, I'll go down.

I'll do the Bethlehem thing.

And the others who say.

And then and then you'll stay with me and you'll guide me.

But Jesus, when he came down, he didn't know as he was in a diaper.

Oh, I'm God.

He didn't know that.

He didn't know he grew in stature and wisdom in favor with the he didn't know.

That's why when he said, I don't know when I'm going to come again.

At that time, he didn't know.

And then in my simple mind, forgive me, Holy Spirit says, OK, when you come back up,

steps to Christ says, with your glorified resurrected body, I'll come down.

Jesus did have that figured out because he said, it's best for you that I go.

Because when the spirit comes, he can be with you at Capernaum in Bethlehem in Jerusalem.

He can be with you everywhere.

I can't right now.

He knew exactly what he was talking about.

And then we don't want you to go.

Just listen.

I wonder why God gave us two ears, two eyes, two nostrils in one mouth.

Just listen.

And so Jesus goes up, remember, goes up.

This is an axe.

And then who shows up?

Hey, you guys, why are you looking up there?

Don't you know what comes up?

What goes up?

Just as he's going to go up, he's going to come back.

And then finally, you all like this term, those 11 losers actually did what Jesus said.

They went into the upper room, like you've done today.

They sang some songs.

They had some prayer.

Took up some offerings.

But they sat, sounds like Quakers, be still.

Good verse, isn't it?

Be still and know that I'm God.

What would be the opposite of that busy Adventist?

Be busy and forget.

You don't have to be robbing banks.

Just be busy.

Shelley and I lived together for 49 years.

Strong woman, spiritual giant.

When I'm in my office in the morning, she'll say, you're ready to have devotions now?

Quite frankly, I'm not.

But am I going to tell Shelley that?

I mean, I'm busy fixing my paper clips.

She says, you don't want to have devotions now?

Okay.

I don't know what she thinks when I call her to it, but we take turns.

Oh, so you think you're saved by devotions, huh?

Let's go.

No, but breathing is important.

Okay.

Now let's start before we finish.

Servants of Christ, but now we're also what?

We're friends of Christ.

Now we'll give the next verse.

To all God's holy people.

Anyone have a different word for that in your Bible?

Saints?

Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Holy people or saints?

Are you holy people and saints?

I'm going to get pregnant Paul out here.

Paul's favorite expression is two words, in Christ.

He says that I think it's 159 times, somebody smart counted it.

And here's what in Christ means.

Watch my hand.

When I put my hand in my Bible, wherever the Bible goes, my hand goes, because the hand is in Bible.

To be in Christ means wherever you go, you're in a relationship with Him.

And if you're in a relationship with Him, you're covered by His robe of righteousness and He considers you saints.

What?

I miss it.

We're coming to the last thing.

We're four things.

We're servants.

We're friends.

We're saints.

But you're also saints.

You can't be a saint and a sinner at the time.

Oh really?

What did Moses do right before he died?

Messed up.

Died and God took him to heaven.

Really took Satan off.

What did Peter do with Jesus in the courtyard?

Cussed his head off because he was a good fisherman cusser.

And then he went to Gethsemane, right where Jesus was, and the man was born again.

He was with Jesus for three years, but he finally got it.

That's why I call him losers.

No offense.

So are you and so am I.

But we're in Christ.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground or behavior is sinking sand.

So I ask teenagers, are you saints?

And you say, oh I'm not a saint.

I'm sorry, you're arguing with God.

Because God says, if you're in a relationship with me, you're a saint.

Now don't go out of here and say, I'm a saint.

Now you've got a problem with pride.

The song that he played was Calm Assurance.

Blessed assurance, Jesus might be mine.

Oh maybe what a possibility of glory divine.

Occasional submission, nothing's for sure.

Is that what it says?

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

Oh what a foretaste.

You know what the word glory means?

Nine times out of ten it means his character.

Oh remember Jesus said in his prayer, Lord let your glory shine through me.

When you go about your Monday through Friday stuff, wherever you go,

you're either letting God's glory shine through you or something else is going on.

But I'm preaching to the choir because you're here every Sabbath to worship God in spirit and in truth and enjoy it.

Enjoy it.

Okay quickly, for all God's holy people in Christ, Jesus at Philippi together with overseers and deacons,

here's Paul's favorite two words, verse two, grace and peace to you.

Remember what Romans 5 says?

Where's the peace end? With Jesus in the vessel you still have smiling at the storm because he pours in the comfort.

Verse three, I thank my God every time I remember you and all my prayers for all of you.

I always pray with joy.

A girl got in front of College of Yale University Church one day and here's how she started her prayer.

See how you greet this prayer.

Everyone was in church, she came up to the microphone and she said, good morning buddy.

I don't think she was invited back to have an opening prayer.

Is God our buddy?

Yeah, but I'm not going to pray that way with you.

Neither am I going to go most mighty.

I'm going to pray Jesus.

Prayer is the opening part to God as a friend.

Great chapter in prayer in the steps of Christ.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

I thank my God every time I remember you and all my prayers for all of you.

I always pray with joy.

How do you pray with joy?

I think I heard some praying like that this morning.

I think I heard some joy.

Is it okay to snicker in a prayer?

I do sometimes.

You might not be comfortable with that so don't snicker.

The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Rejoice in it always.

He wrote these things when he was in a prison.

Dear Lord, there goes another roach, there goes another rat.

Rejoice in it Lord always.

But I don't feel like rejoicing.

Who cares how you feel? Rejoice.

That's what he says at this scene.

I'm coming to the first promise and we're going to stop.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, verse 5,

because of your partnership in the gospel.

Oh, we've got to do this.

If I ask most of you today what the gospel is, 9 out of 10 of you will say,

it's the good news, which is nice, but tells me nothing.

So now I'm going to educate you on what the gospel is.

Just take a second.

And I'm a little slow so it might take a second.

The birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ,

the resurrection of Christ, and then we skip as admonitions to the second coming of Christ,

leaving out a small detail.

Now I've got to start over again.

The birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ,

the gift of the Holy Spirit of Christ.

That's where we are right now, Book of Acts.

That's where we are.

And I want to be Holy Spirit possessed.

There's nothing wrong with the word possessed.

It's who you're possessed by.

The person who is possessed of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit,

will be loving, warm, not critical.

You know, I've actually heard churches argue about what color carpet they should put in the church,

and it becomes a battlefield.

I don't know about this church.

I'm just breathing.

One more time, repetition for effect.

The birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ,

the gift of the Holy Spirit of Christ, the second coming, get us out of here, Christ.

That's the Gospel.

When I meet a Muslim guy, I don't go over the Gospel with him.

The first thing I say is, tell me about your religion.

Before you preach anything, you better learn to listen.

The Gospel of listening.

People don't give a rip what you believe until they first realize you give a rip about them.

Life and...no, Christ...no.

The Minister of Healing says, Christ mingled with them as one who desired their good,

and when he won their confidence, what did he say?

Fuck me.

But I'm preaching the choir because this seems like a safe place.

You seem very warm and friendly. I saw smiling. I saw laughter.

I think you're on to something here.

Don't get up at me. I think you're on to something.

I'm trying to finish.

Oh, the first promise. Here it comes.

In all my prayer, verse four, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel.

From the first day until now, being confident of this, here it comes.

I call it the hee-hee-hee promise.

Put that in your Bible unless you don't write in your Bible.

Hee-hee-hee. Here it is.

He who began a good work in you, who is that? Christ.

Will continue the work in you, who's that? Christ, Holy Spirit.

Until he comes to get you. Hee-hee-hee.

That's genuine joy. Not happiness, but joy.

Close with a story.

There's a book called Blue Light Jazz.

It has nothing to do with jazz, and nothing to do with the word blue.

But this guy goes to a Christian concert.

And the singer becomes a preacher.

Well, maybe the preacher shouldn't sing and the singer shouldn't preach.

But in this case, he told this story.

And it just blew my mind as I read this.

He said he had a buddy that was a Navy SEAL.

And there were some Americans who were held hostage in some place.

They did not go into detail. They were being held hostage.

And so they did what you've seen on TV when they're trying to plot something out.

They plot out the scene, what they're going to do, how they're going to do it, when they're going to do it.

And they got it all ready.

And they're an aircraft carrier.

And these Navy SEALs got on a helicopter.

And they went to the location where these hostages were.

And the helicopter landed perfectly.

They went into the place where the guys were. There they were.

They had the location all figured out.

And the Navy SEALs, they got their helmets, they got their guns, they got their night goggles.

They got everything.

And they come rushing in. They see the Americans.

And they say, hey, we're Americans. We're here to help you. Come on. Let's go.

And they start going.

And that one of the hostages moves.

They're sitting on the floor.

Looking down at their squalor.

They're mentally drained.

They're tired.

They're worn out.

They're scared.

In all the planning, nobody thought of the fact that they might not want to go home.

But one Navy SEAL, probably God's impression.

Look what he did.

He took off his helmet.

Now catch the spiritual analogy, please.

He took off his helmet.

He laid down his gun.

Stoke off his night vision goggles.

And then went over.

And took the posture of the hostages.

Sat down next to him so his elbow and shoulder was touching this one guy.

And he just sat straight ahead.

Then he looked over and said, we're here from America.

We're here to take you home.

Will you come with us?

And he turned back and just sat.

And this hostage then did this.

Catch the analogy.

He took his eyes off the stuff around him.

And he turned to the Navy SEAL and goes like this. Look.

And the first one got up.

And the second one got up.

And they followed him out to the helicopter, to the aircraft carrier.

And some of you are old enough to remember seeing a family sitting at the tarmac while their family comes down the steps.

You get what I'm saying?

Who's more excited about the second coming, us or Jesus?

Who can bear the pain?

Jesus.

We can.

But in Jesus we can.

Whatever you do, keep coming here.

Keep doing what I've seen you do.

Pray.

Concern.

Pass the mic.

Sing a song.

Give the kids something to do.

Excellent.

A+.

Keep doing it.

Don't worship worship.

And don't think that you go on the right day and you're something better than someone else.

The cross is level.

Good to see you.